


A Penny On The Street

by Shirimikaze



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, I'm almost sorry I won't be elaborating on that, M/M, seungcheol is grade A roommate material, soonyoung skinny dipping is my aesthetic, why are summaries so difficult, why is my first fic so cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-19
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 19:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7814557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shirimikaze/pseuds/Shirimikaze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding a coin isn't the only way you can encounter luck on the streets.</p><p>Just when Jeonghan thought he was done with life and his roommate's unhelpful ass, fate leaves him a gift in the form of cheesy guitar melodies and piercing gazes tied together by a honey voice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Penny On The Street

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic! Any criticism is appreciated and encouraged.
> 
> Got the idea for this when I passed by a street musician some days ago. I advise y'all to stop and have a listen when you see one and have the chance; a minute of a stranger's time can grant hours of enthusiasm and inspiration to someone. Peace~

The dazzling August sun was spreading its bright rays like a smile-adorned bridesmaid throwing flower petals at a wedding. The light morning breeze accompanied the gentle harmony of dozens of birds. To welcome the new day, all living things arose with joy and-

“Fuck my life”

Well, almost all.

A dull thump, followed by an exasperated sigh filled the small bedroom of an unfortunate student. Jeonghan seriously contemplated just staying on the floor and sleeping his life away, but his homework and rent wouldn’t so kindly adhere to the _“If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist”_ motto.

After a second too much of the stray threads of sunlight that escaped through his thin curtains shining directly onto his face, he reluctantly stood up and slowly trudged to the bathroom. Making himself look presentable, Jeonghan tried recalling his schedule for the day. A wave of content filled him as he realized he had only two classes today, after which he could continue the interrupted intense cuddling session with his sheets. Seokmin was going to take his shift at the restaurant for the day, returning the favour from that one time Jeonghan covered for his brutally hungover ass. Friendships had their perks, alright. Feeling reincarnated after a hot shower, Jeonghan emerged from the bathroom with a minuscule smile ghosting over his lips.

He’d always been a lucky guy. Maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad.

\---

He takes that back. The day had barely started and he already wondered what sin he’d committed besides being an ungodly fine piece of ass.

From his roommate having eaten his chocolate pudding, burning his shirt while ironing it, tripping while running for the bus and realizing he forgot his textbook, Jeonghan came to the conclusion that sunny summer days weren’t shit. The looks directed at him when he tumbled to the ground at the bus stop were a mix of judgemental and pitying, with the addition of a toddler laughing at his misery. Jeonghan figured this had to be karma’s sweet return to him for that one time he made blackmail videos of Soonyoung taking a skinny dip at a fountain for a dare. Weighing several options and possible outcomes in his mind, he decided to take the shortcut to his class through the city park, suited exactly for “the lord is testing me” situations such as this.

Despite the rough beginning and hurry, the cheerful faces he passed by soothed his nerves, if only a bit. Near the exit Jeonghan passed by a big group of huddled together young girls. Amidst the sound of phone camera snaps and the occasional feminine squeal, he could hear a soothing guitar melody. A street musician, he assumed. His morning adventures however left him no time to stop and have a proper listen. Seungcheol absolutely owed him a new pudding after this and Jeonghan would be damned if he didn’t whine till he got one.

While the crowd was still within earshot he could swear he heard several dozen renditions of “Oh my God he’s hot” in a record time. Jeonghan pouted. He was definitely sure he could also gather a swarm of girls with his looks alone. At least, he thought he could. Or assumed he could. Maybe wished-

Jeonghan shooed away all thoughts that weren’t focused on his current task at hand - avoiding getting his ass fried by his professor for being late once more - before his mood could get any worse.

\---

The fantastic train of events Jeonghan was sure he’d be getting war flashbacks about was appropriately wrapped up by actually arriving late to class by 5 minutes, finding out someone had taken his favourite seat by the window and sitting on a piece of bubblegum someone had previously stuck to the chair he chose. The girl next to him sent him mildly concerned glances in between taking notes, courtesy of the pained expressions he took on every few minutes. Classes were a blur at best. His mind was a whirlpool of fatigue and the desire to sleep for 20 hours straight.

Seungcheol better get him a damn nice pudding.

Jeonghan thanked whatever greater force was residing the skies when class was dismissed. Wishing to faceplant on his bed as soon as possible, he sped for the same emergency route he arrived from. Nearing the park, he could hear the faint buzzing of an excited crowd. Several steps later, a familiar view greeted Jeonghan - same place, same audience of fascinated females, same distinct sound of a guitar. The only difference was the voice accompanying the instrument, a voice of velvet that made his steps falter. The voice was distinctly male, singing what Jeonghan reckoned was a mellow pop song. Curiosity snaking through his senses, all exhaustion was briefly forgotten. Time wasn’t a restraint anymore, so “Why not”, he thought to himself. The relentless August sun had notably lessened the crowd, making Jeonghan’s way near the front easier than expected.

None of the bullshit he had dealt with earlier could have prepared him from getting his breath stolen so abruptly. Settling himself at the front row of the crowd, Jeonghan found that his eyes were instantly drawn to the reason for the small gathering. Behind the melody of silver and voice of silk stood a man that could make dead roses bloom once more with a single glance. The gentle lines of his face accentuated a pair of striking feline-like eyes that seemed to glow when a string of sunlight hit them just right. Long, slender fingers expertly strummed the guitar strings with finesse that could only stem from practice and passion. Jeonghan gulped, enchanted by every small quirk of the man’s lips while he mouthed the lyrics to his song of choice. Just when Jeonghan though the world tumbled off its axis and decided to blame the fire in his veins on the unyielding summer heat, the musician casually looked at his general vicinity.

The moment the long-haired male was in the line of sight of those overwhelming feline eyes, they locked gazes. Time came to a temporary halt, just like Jeonghan’s breath. The boil of his blood was however not one bit weaker. The viewers’ cheers seemed so distant in that moment. The only sound Jeonghan emitted came from his frantic heartbeat. He sincerely hoped his internal crisis wasn’t evident.

Coincidence, telepathy, or simply fate, a mischievous smirk was aimed Jeonghan’s way, riding the upturned quirk of those damning lips. That seemed to break the spell; the flow of time carried on, leaving Jeonghan to deal with the situation by himself. He took that as his cue to turn on his heels and retreat before sensory overload could drive him to mess up in front of the single most captivating person he’d had the pleasure and curse to witness up close.

Not a single step back to his flat passed without the lingering feeling of that piercing gaze, as if it was still following him. The sun could be jealous of the burn of Jeonghan’s cheeks.

\---

“Looks like someone had a great day.”

Jeonghan groaned.

His first job after locking the apartment door behind himself and taking his shoes off was floppling face-first on the couch much like a freshly cut-off tree. His roommate calmly observed it all unfold from the kitchen table as if it was a daily occurrence.

“No thanks to my pudding disappearing, asshole,” Jeonghan replied, voice muffled by the decorative cushions.

“As if I don’t always buy you food to appease your mood swings, Satan,” Seungcheol took a sip of his tea, eyes not moving from Jeonghan’s limp figure on the couch. “Now to the more relevant stuff – what made you give up on life today?”

Jeonghan briefly contemplated giving Seungcheol an elaborate report of his earlier struggles. The vivid mental image of a pair of chestnut eyes, however, almost seized his breath for a second time in the span of an hour.

“Just a rough day. If you call _me_ Satan, my psychology professor would make you cry,” Jeonghan assured. He decided to leave the day’s events as a story for another time. Top priorities right now included sleeping reality away and attempting to keep his heart rate in check every time a memory including guitars and pearly white teeth would stealthily slip into his conscience.

\---

Jeonghan had absolutely no other reason to use the shortcut through the park every day other than wanting to arrive early to classes and improve his reputation. Really, his professors should be proud. Especially Mr. Park from the statistics course. The old man had been throwing him exasperated looks since freshman year. Jeonghan was working for the greater good here.

What he couldn’t even attempt to find a plausible explanation for, however, was the way his shoulders slightly sagged every time he passed by the park exit and saw nothing but several kids playing around in the grass and heard nothing but the carefree chatter of people on the benches, basking in the August sun.

Maybe the soft guitar melody and the smooth voice would remain but a memory. Jeonghan isn’t sure why the thought made his shoulders drop even lower.

\---

“You sure you’re okay? You’ve been looking like someone cancelled your favourite drama all week,” Seungcheol quipped from his position on the kitchen counter, cereal bowl in hand.

Jeonghan shot his roommate a glare over his plate of pancakes, hoping to convey a mix of “I’m fine” and “Your metaphors suck”.

“Jihoon even shot me a text saying you’ve been arriving to classes early several days in a row which is probably the most concerning bit here,” he continued.

If Jeonghan didn’t cherish his food like a firstborn child, Seungcheol would have had a pancake slapped on his face by now.

“Seriously, nothing’s wrong. Classes took their toll on me, I guess,” Jeonghan eyed his pancakes as if they had personally offended him and his mother.

Several beats of silence and a few slurping sounds from the cereal later, Seungcheol carried on. “Since I’m a fantastic roommate due to rarely listening to you, I’m hauling your ass out of the apartment this evening to take you back to the higher planes of joy and life. A classmate of mine and I are going to the karaoke and you’re coming. I accept no refusals or you’re gonna be missing more puddings.”

Before Jeonghan could begin arguing just for the heck of it, he considered the opportunity honestly. His roommate was right – no use moping around the apartment any longer. Especially about something that didn’t seem like much more than a captivating dream at this point in time, no matter how real. Jeonghan sighed. He probably wouldn’t cross paths with the man a second time. A night out would really do good to fix the mess his thoughts have shaped up to be this past week.

“Alright”

\---

There the two of them were, several hours later, chatting on a bench in the city park. Seungcheol said he’s agreed to meet up with his classmate here because it was apparently close to his part-time job.

Staring at the damn patches of grass and the children playing on them, Jeonghan couldn’t help but think that this place started it all. The whole reason Seungcheol had to take his sulky ass outside in the first place. His past week flashed by like an old tape in his mind. Day after day, passing through this same green sunlit trail, hoping to find what he thought was his lucky penny on the narrow grey street of his life. Reflecting like this, a thin thread of desperation he previously wanted to ignore was primly tying all his memories together. Several moments of retrospection later, a desire to vent his frustration arose and Jeonghan turned to his roommate.

“Y’know, your pudding theft was the last thing on my mind. Even the demon I call my psychology professor was tolerable. You really wanna hear what had me pointlessly sulking?” Seungcheol gave a small nod.

“Couple of days ago, back when I flopped on the couch first thing after coming home, right across where we’re sitting now there was this street musician playing the guitar. I figured I’d stop and listen for a bit. All normal, right? But the moment I locked eyes on him, shit, I think I felt electricity run through my whole body. The guy was nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s like… I was meant to run into him, like my life was an elaborate set up just for that one moment, you feel? So I passed through here every day on my way to class, regarding this as “fate” or whatever you choose to call it, but never saw him again. I used to wanna strangle you when you made fun of me for watching too much romance dramas, and fuck, I’m probably never gonna say this again, but I think you’re right…”

“A masterpiece, huh”

A new voice came from behind them. A voice not unlike a caress from a freshly fallen flower petal to Jeonghan’s ears.

Jeonghan turned his head so fast it’s a miracle he didn’t get whiplash. If thunder had torn the sky apart and struck him at that exact moment, he still wouldn’t be as petrified. Before him stood none other than the bane of his earlier rant. Judging by the sly grin he was sporting (the same one that made Jeonghan run away several days ago), he had heard everything as well.

Everything clicked for Seungcheol by noticing the storm brewing in his friend’s eyes. He settled for staying quiet and observing the impending mess.

“That street gig with the guitar was a one-time thing for a uni project. Then again, if it makes cute guys like you look for me, I may do it more often,” as if his words alone didn’t turn Jeonghan into human-shaped jelly, he had the nerve to wink as well. “My name’s Jisoo. If I knew you were Seungcheol’s roommate, maybe I would’ve had the pleasure of meeting like this earlier.”

“Jeonghan. My name’s Jeonghan. And I really wouldn’t mind hearing you sing again,” he’d managed to regain his composure enough to form a coherent reply, but not enough to will away the pink tint blooming on his cheeks.

The moment was almost flawless if we didn’t count Seungcheol’s shit-eating grin on the side, tainting the dreamy atmosphere, but hey, nothing was perfect. However, one look at the deep gazes the two boys shared could tell that it could only get better for them. Jeonghan had always been a lucky guy, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to my personal Pope™ for reading this without even liking k-pop and helping a bro out.
> 
> Headcanon that underneath the gentleman image Josh is lowkey freaky; that sly self-confident guy every party has. It's always the innocent looking ones, mark my words  
> Seungcheol is me tbh; roommate of the year award goes to...  
> Also I may or may not like the idea of BooSeokSoon being party animals a bit too much, just had to give them a nod


End file.
